In December 2020, a catalogue entry documented a unique pair of walnut armchairs designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens for Villa Cavrois in Croix, Nord, during the villa’s initial installation between 1929 and 1932. Mallet-Stevens (Paris, 1886–1945) created these pieces as part of his work on the modernist residence, which became a landmark of twentieth-century French architecture.
Design and Materials
The armchairs feature cylindrical front legs in walnut that extend vertically with a semicylindrical façade. The rear legs are formed from a broad walnut base. The seats are rounded at the front with a wide, characteristic rounded overhang—a design motif echoed in the ear-shaped forms of the lateral backrests. The pair measures 92 by 70 by 90 centimetres.
Documentation and Legacy
The design appeared in Architecture of Today (No. VIII, November 1932) in an article on modern architecture by Mallet-Stevens. The work was further documented in subsequent publications, including editions devoted to the villa’s architecture issued by L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui in 1934 and later monographs such as Robert Mallet-Stevens: The Complete Works (Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2005) and A Modern Castle: Villa Cavrois (Éditions du Patrimoine and Centre des Monuments Nationaux, 2016).
Frequently asked questions
Who was Robert Mallet-Stevens?
Robert Mallet-Stevens (1886–1945) was a Paris-based architect who designed Villa Cavrois and created furnishings for the residence as part of its modernist interior programme.
What materials were used in these armchairs?
The armchairs were constructed primarily from walnut, with cylindrical front legs featuring a semicylindrical façade and a broad walnut base forming the rear legs.
When were these armchairs created?
The pair was created between 1929 and 1932 as part of Villa Cavrois’s initial installation in Croix, Nord.